1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a converter and method for converting video signals of interlace format to video signals of progressive format.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional display devices, such as television receivers, for displaying broadcast video signals receive and display video signals of the interlace format. In the interlace format, a frame is divided into two fields, and includes, for example, 1920.times.540 pixels per field. The first field, the even field, includes even numbered lines of the frame. The second field, the odd field, includes odd numbered lines of the frame. In the interlace format, the odd field and then the even field are transmitted to transmit a frame of a video signal.
Conventional display devices for use with, for example, personal computers display video signals of the progressive format which includes, for example, 1280.times.720 pixels per frame. In the progressive format the even numbered lines and odd numbered lines are not divided into two separate fields. Instead, a complete video image is represented by a single field frame wherein a frame of the video signal in the progressive format includes consecutive lines.
There exists a demand from users of each of these display devices for the capability of displaying video signals of the other format. For example, users of personal computers desire the capability of displaying video signals of the type typically received and displayed by television receivers. To provide such a capability requires converting video signals of one format into the other.
Conventional converters for converting video signals of interlace format into video signals of progressive format require four inter-field converters. This method of conversion is very hardware intensive and requires large amounts of memory. These conventional converters, however, use the four inter-field converter system since this system suppresses line flicker while keeping motion of a displayed image clear.